Let’s stop cyberbullying — More compassion please

It’s so easy to say mean and rude things on the internet because often times the person receiving the message is not face to face. This TED talk by Monica Lewinsky shows how bad shame and humiliation can be… To the point where you would rather die than be so humiliated. No matter where she went, people didn’t know her for her but as that other women. It used to only a small community knowing the shame of a person. Now it’s the whole internet world shining a spotlight on an embarrassing moment. To stop this, there are things that need to be done.

First, be nice. If you see a mean comment, counter it with something kind.

Second, don’t click on those demeaning links. The more clicks, the more advertising, the more they can make money, and the more they will spend on finding embarrassing stories to tell. People have souls.

Here were a couple things I learned from the video:

Even in small numbers, when there’s consistency over time, change can happen.

Compassionate comments can abate bullying. Think about the other person on the other side of the headline.